| 13 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 14 | 14 | | AN ACT TO MODERNIZE MEDICAID DENTAL RATES. 2 |
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| 15 | 15 | | Whereas, good oral health is vital to good overall health, and untreated oral health 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | conditions negatively affect overall health and have associations with chronic disease, including 4 |
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| 17 | 17 | | diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease, and even mental illness; and 5 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Whereas, the failure to adjust reimbursement rates to account for increasing inflation 6 |
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| 19 | 19 | | and costs over the last fifteen years has resulted in reduced dental provider participation in 7 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Medicaid; and 8 |
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| 21 | 21 | | Whereas, regular preventative dental care is the most cost effective method available 9 |
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| 22 | 22 | | to prevent minor oral conditions from developing into more complex oral and physical health 10 |
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| 23 | 23 | | conditions that would eventually require emergency and palliative care; and 11 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Whereas, in order to improve overall health and access to quality care, increase 12 |
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| 25 | 25 | | provider participation in Medicaid, and prevent future health conditions caused by overall health 13 |
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| 26 | 26 | | problems, it is in the best interest of the State to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates paid to dental 14 |
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| 27 | 27 | | care providers from 35% to 46% of the average dentist charges in 2023 in order to provide rates 15 |
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| 28 | 28 | | that are comparable with the Medicaid rates of surrounding states; Now, therefore, 16 |
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| 29 | 29 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 17 |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 1.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 18 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Health and Human Services, Division of Health Benefits, the sum of fifty-two million dollars 19 |
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| 32 | 32 | | ($52,000,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to be used to 20 |
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| 33 | 33 | | increase the Medicaid rates paid for dental services. These funds shall provide a State match for 21 |
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| 34 | 34 | | ninety-five million dollars ($95,000,000) in recurring federal funds for each year of the 22 |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2025-2027 fiscal biennium, and those funds are appropriated to the Division of Health Benefits 23 |
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| 36 | 36 | | for the same purpose. 24 |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 1.(b) The rate increases required by this section shall be implemented as 25 |
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| 38 | 38 | | soon as practicable after July 1, 2025. 26 |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2025. 27 |
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